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Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order that would create a new nuclear “Manhattan Project” designed to help the US win the global race for artificial intelligence.
The order is expected to fast track the development of nuclear power stations in the United States, which would then supply the huge data centres required for AI.
The Trump administration is seeking ways to counter the “huge resources” being deployed by China to develop the nascent technology.
Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, warned earlier this year that the clamour to build the power sources required to meet the growing need from AI had become “Manhattan Project 2”, in reference to the country’s programme to develop atomic bombs during the Second World War.
He said: “It is critical, just like Manhattan Project 1, that the United States wins this race.
“China has huge resources. They are massively focused on artificial intelligence.
“If we don’t unleash American innovation and American entrepreneurs and American construction and bold moves, we will lose Manhattan Project 2.”
The executive order aims to ease the process to approve new nuclear reactors and will also bolster supply chains.
In a sign of his focus on America’s power needs, Mr Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day back in the White House in January.
The US was the first country to develop nuclear power and has 94 nuclear reactors, supplying 97 gigawatts of energy, which gives it the largest nuclear capacity in the world.
Technology companies including Microsoft and Google have embraced nuclear power as a way to meet their expanding energy needs as the US government seeks to catch up with the boom in demand.
In September last year, Microsoft agreed a 20-year deal to purchase power from the Three Mile Island energy plant in Pennsylvania.
The tech giant said the agreement would provide a carbon-free source of energy to power its data centres which are used in AI.
Constellation Energy, the owner of the plant, is expected to reopen it in 2028 following improvements.
Google has also signed a contract with energy company Kairos Power to use its small nuclear reactors to power its AI data centres.
It aims to be powered by Kairos’s first reactor before the end of the decade, with the company set to open more by 2035.
Trump is also expected to use the Defense Production Act, which dates back to the Cold War-era, to declare a national emergency over the US’s dependence on Russia and China for enriched uranium, which is crucial for nuclear power generation.
McKinsey predicted that power demand from US data centres will rise from 178 terawatt hours per year to 606 terawatt hours by the end of this decade. South Korea produced about 595.6 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024.